Attempted Massena kidnappers accept plea bargain

CANTON  The two people who assaulted and attempted to kidnap a Massena teen in February are headed to prison after they accepted a plea deal Thursday in St. Lawrence County Court.

Patrick R. Lloyd, 25, formerly of New York City before relocating to Massena two years ago, and Miranda M. Green, 18, of Massena, pleaded guilty to second-degree attempted kidnapping. The couple had been living on Haskell Street prior to being incarcerated.

Lloyd is expected to be sentenced to eight years in prison as a second felony offender. He will also face five years of post-release supervision. The plea deal will satisfy several charges that are pending against him in Massena Village Court. The state prison sentence is expected to be sentenced concurrently with any time he is sentenced to in federal court if he is found guilty of federal charges pending against him.

The latest conviction for a violent felony offense in St. Lawrence County Court could increase the mandatory minimum sentence in the federal case, but attorneys familiar with the case said Thursday they werent certain of its potential impact.

Lloyd is under federal indictment by the United States Attorneys Office Northern District of New York for conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute and to distribute over 500 grams of cocaine, over 28 grams of cocaine base, which is crack cocaine, and heroin, in Franklin, St. Lawrence and Clinton counties.

Lloyds attorney, Edward F. Narrow, Syracuse, said the plea offer of an eight-year prison sentence was acceptable in part because of the potential for the 10 year to life sentence he is facing if he is found guilty of the charge pending in federal court.

So a sentence here less than that is a victory in my clients eyes, Mr. Narrow said. We are happy to take the plea and admit guilt here so my client can resolve his federal case.

There is no plea offer or proffer with the U.S. Attorneys Office, Mr. Narrow stressed, but he said he would anticipate that resolving the state case prior to resolving the federal case will result in concurrent sentencing.

I am anticipating that because of the sentencing structure in federal court, my clients exposure there is much greater than eight years and we are anticipating a sentence that is greater than that, Mr. Narrow said.

Green faces a maximum sentence of 1 1/3 to four years in prison. She will be adjudicated as a youthful offender, meaning she will not have a criminal record after serving her time.

Sentencing is set for 9:15 a.m. Nov. 6.

The plea deal was reached just one day after St. Lawrence County Judge Jerome J. Richards encouraged the pair to accept a plea bargain, noting they both could be looking at 15 years in prison if they were convicted. This was the first time that a plea had been introduced into the case, Mr. Narrow said Thursday.

We took that back to our clients and gave them the night to think about it, Mr. Narrow said of him and Ms. Greens attorney, Peter A. Dumas. We came back to court today and asked the judge if he would be willing to give us a commitment in regards to sentence.

In court Thursday, Lloyd and Green admitted to stopping Cathterine A. Berry on the street, restraining her hands and trying to force her into their vehicle before their actions drew the attention of neighbors in the Sycamore Street area where the incident took place. Ms. Berry suffered bruises and facial swelling as a result of the attack.

In addition to the attempted kidnapping charge, the couple were facing charges of unlawful imprisonment and petit larceny.

Lloyd also faced a charge of second-degree attempted assault, and Green faced a charge of third-degree assault.

Uncertainty about how Ms. Berry would testify  before a grand jury she accused the two of the attack, but then recanted her story in a written statement to Canton private investigator Donald J. Tracy, who had been hired by the defense  had hung over the case before Thursday morning, when she was scheduled to testify.

Mr. Narrow said he and Mr. Dumas had learned that Ms. Berry was going to stick to her original complaint and testimony. It was that testimony and the testimony of witness Roxanne Erlendson that the attorneys said would make it difficult for them to win a not-guilty verdict from the jury.

Mr. Dumas said Green, who is pregnant with Lloyds child and is due to give birth in three months, will be placed in a facility where she will be able to spend a year with her child.

So this is a victory, Mr. Dumas said. And she walks out of court today without a conviction.

St. Lawrence County District Attorney Nicole M. Duve said she was pleased with the outcome of the case.

It was something that caught the attention of the Massena community in a way that not a lot of people do, Ms. Duve said. It caused a lot of upset and alarm in the community and this outcome assured that the people who were responsible for causing that are being dealt with and being held accountable for what they did.

They reportedly shoved Ms. Berry, then 17, of Massena to the ground before punching her in the face several times and kicking her in the face. They then reportedly restrained Ms. Berrys hands and tried to throw her into their vehicle before their actions drew the attention of neighbors in the Sycamore Street area where the incident took place. Ms. Berry reportedly suffered bruises and facial swelling as a result of the attack.

Lloyd appeared at the village police station with his attorney, Mr. Narrow of Syracuse, and turned himself in on an arrest warrant. Green, a senior at Massena Central High School at the time of the incident, was taken into custody when she greeted Lloyd as he was leaving the courtroom after his arraignment on the unlawful imprisonment charge.

Ms. Berry was walking on Woodlawn Avenue between Sycamore and Cedar streets Feb. 16 when she encountered Lloyd, known by his street name of Problem, and Green. She said Lloyds vehicle drove past her as she walking across the baseball field, then backed up, pulled in front of her and blocked her path.

Green reportedly got out of the vehicle, exchanged pleasantries with Ms. Berry and then punched her in the right eye. Lloyd then reportedly exited the vehicle, approached the teenager and pushed Ms. Berry, knocking her backwards into a snowbank. He then allegedly booted her in the face with the bottom of his foot. Ms. Berry was dating one of Lloyds rivals at the time of the incident.

He then reportedly punched Ms. Berry in the face several times, with Green throwing haymakers at the 17 year old at the same time.

I was laying in the snow and Miranda said, Put her in the car. When I saw the door open to the car, I thought they were going to kill me. I was scared for my life. Problem grabbed my hands, and Miranda grabbed my feet, and they picked me up and tried to put me in the car, Ms. Berry said.

She was reportedly able to escape when she kicked Green, who dropped her feet. A neighborhood resident then reportedly intervened, and Lloyd and Green allegedly got back into their vehicle and left the scene.

Attorney Edward Narrow talks about plea deal

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